Who Is the Mystery Serial Bomber in Austin?

A serial bomber has gripped the city of Austin, Texas, the fourth time this month as the latest bomb blast injured two men in a residential area and has left residents on edge while law enforcement agencies are scrambling to identity the mystery bomber.

Austin is my hometown city. It is where I spent my childhood and young adult life. It’s a peaceful place known for music aficionados, pristine lakes, oversized parks, an ancient Japanese Garden, and of course, a sprawling University of Austin in Texas. It is not known for domestic terrorism, which the four explosions may suggest.

America’s major cities are no longer safe.

This isn’t the first time the city of Austin has been caught off-guard. my father reminded me this morning that weirder things have happened in Austin–there was a guy who used to throw rocks off the bridge that killed one person. This went on for two years and the police didn’t know who it was since the perpetrator launched attacks at night. These latest attacks, though more deadly in my opinion, are a reminder that anything can happen anywhere. Which is not comforting of course.

Who Is the Bomber?

No one knows. Which is the worst news. What we do know is that law enforcement agencies, including profiling experts from Quantico, VA are on the ground in Texas trying to understand the sequence of events and discern the identity of the bomber.

As a counter-terrorism analyst, a few suspects come to mind, which include a psychopath, an angry and disturbed American, a radicalized Muslim, and more. All of these possibilities makes me painfully aware of this one harsh truth:

it is too easy to launch surprise attacks in America.

The September 11th and Boston marathon attacks were among the largest and scariest terror attacks to date. While the Austin bomber may not be connected to terrorism or belong to a violent faction or ideology, the bomber is doing what all terrorists do:

The Austin attacker and violent extremists have one thing in common: they want attention and to strike fear in the local population.

In the coming days and weeks, I hope the mystery bomber is found. For everyone’s sake. And when it’s all over, perhaps local and federal authorities will better understand the threats we face at home and seek ways to prevent another attacker from upsetting our way of life.

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